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The Recreational Empowerment Committee (REC) is consumer-driven
with the goal of tackling the problem of inadequate recreational
opportunities in the community for people with disabilities.
New committee members to the REC are always welcomed. Staff
with the MORC Therapeutic Recreation Department assist as
liaison persons to the committee.
The REC is involved in many activities, including fundraisers;
a Holiday Party; a Country Hoe-Down; the Arts, Beats &
Eats festival; a Spring Dance, and as volunteers to the Special
Olympics.
Because of Medicaid and other funding limitations, some people
with disabilities are not able to afford recreational activities
in the community.
A three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education
is being used to further the activities of the REC. This was
a highly competitive grant, with only eight grants awarded
in the nation.
The grant money pays for recreational activity fees associated
with integrating people with disabilities into community recreational
programs. These activities include such things as sports leagues,
arts and crafts classes, mainstream cooking classes, and many
more.
The federal grant also allows MORC to purchase equipment
to cover the expansion of its recreational programs, including
an arts center, two additional therapeutic horseback riding
sites, expanding yoga and dance classes, and a soccer league
for children with autism.
Grant money is also used to educate and advocate within the
community to make local organizations aware of the number
of individuals with disabilities residing in their area and
their need for access to recreational services. The grant
money is being used to come up with a formal system for effectively
linking individuals with disabilities to existing community
resources.
For more information about the MORC Recreational
Empowerment Committee, please call
(586) 416-2063.
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